Well Pump Repair and Replacement in Greenbrier County, WV
Most homes out here run on a private well. When it quits, you have no water — and not one other plumbing company serving this county works on pumps.
Dakota Workman — licensed journeyman plumber, West Virginia Division of Labor. Fully insured. Answering 24/7.
Outside the town limits, almost every home in Greenbrier and Pocahontas counties draws from a private well. When the pump fails there's no utility to call and no one else coming. We repair and replace the whole system — and we do it nights and weekends.
What we work on
Submersible pumps
The pump that sits down in the well casing. Pulling and replacing, wiring, splices, torque arrestors, drop pipe and safety rope. Most deep wells in this area run submersibles.
Jet pumps
Shallow-well and convertible jet pumps mounted at the well house or in the basement. Impellers, seals, foot valves and priming problems.
Pressure tanks
Bladder and galvanized tanks. Waterlogging, lost air charge, ruptured bladders and correct pre-charge on replacement — the step most people skip.
Pressure switches & controls
Switches, control boxes, capacitors, gauges, cut-in and cut-out settings, and low-pressure cutoffs that protect the pump from running dry.
Wiring & electrical
Burnt or corroded wiring down the well, failed splices, breakers that trip, and grounding problems.
Pitless adapters & lines
The connection from well casing to buried service line, plus leaking and frozen well lines running to the house.
What the symptoms usually mean
No water at all
Failed pump, tripped or failed breaker, burnt pressure switch, or a shorted wire down the well. If the breaker trips again as soon as you reset it, stop resetting it — that's a short, and repeated resets can turn a repair into a replacement.
Pump runs constantly and never shuts off
A leak somewhere in the system, a worn pump that can no longer build cut-out pressure, a stuck pressure switch, or a failed foot valve or check valve letting water fall back down the well.
Pump kicks on and off every few seconds
Classic waterlogged pressure tank. The bladder has failed or the tank has lost its air charge, so there's no cushion. It's usually an inexpensive fix — and ignoring it burns out the pump, which is not.
Low water pressure through the whole house
Pressure switch set too low, a failing pump, a clogged sediment filter, scaled or corroded piping, or a partially blocked well screen.
Sputtering, spitting faucets
Air getting into the system — a low water table, a leak in the drop pipe, or a failing check valve. Worth looking at fast, because a pump running dry destroys itself quickly.
Dirty, sandy or cloudy water
Pump sitting too low and pulling sediment, a failed well screen, or a collapsing casing. Sediment chews through pumps, fixtures and appliances.
Repair or replace?
We'll tell you straight. Most of the cost of a submersible job is the labor to pull the pump — so if yours is over about ten years old and it's already out of the hole, putting the same aging pump back in rarely makes sense. A five-year-old pump with a bad pressure switch is a different story: fix the switch and move on. You get both numbers and you decide.
While you're waiting on us
- Check whether the pump breaker has tripped — but don't keep resetting it if it trips again
- Note the pressure gauge reading at the tank if you have one
- Tap the side of the pressure tank — a hollow ring up top and a dull thud at the bottom is normal; dull all the way up means waterlogged
- Fill a few containers from any remaining pressure for drinking and flushing
- If you know the well depth or pump age, have it ready — it speeds up the diagnosis
Common questions
How do I know if it's the pump or the pressure tank?
A few quick signs. If the pump runs constantly and never shuts off, that often points to a leak, a worn pump or a bad foot valve. If it cycles rapidly on and off every few seconds - what people call short-cycling - that is almost always a waterlogged pressure tank that has lost its air charge. If you have no water at all and the breaker keeps tripping, that usually means a shorted pump or damaged wiring down the well. We diagnose it properly rather than guessing, because a pressure tank is a far cheaper fix than pulling a pump.
How long does a well pump last?
A submersible pump typically runs 8 to 15 years, though water quality, how hard it cycles and the quality of the original install all change that. Heavy sediment or iron shortens it. A pressure tank usually lasts 5 to 15 years. If your pump is over ten years old and you are already paying to pull it, replacing it while it is out is usually the cheaper decision.
Do you drill new wells?
No. We repair and replace the equipment that moves and pressurizes the water - pumps, pressure tanks, switches, control boxes, wiring, pitless adapters and drop pipe. If you need a new well drilled we will tell you and point you to a licensed driller.
Why does my water sputter and spit from the faucet?
Air in the system. Common causes are a dropping water table leaving the pump drawing air, a leak in the drop pipe, or a failing check valve. It is worth looking at quickly - a pump running dry damages itself fast.
Can you get to a well pump in winter?
Yes. It is one of the most common calls we take in January and February, and it is exactly when a business-hours-only company leaves you stuck for the weekend.
Where we service well systems
Lewisburg, Fairlea, Ronceverte, Caldwell, Maxwelton, White Sulphur Springs, Frankford, Renick, Williamsburg, Hillsboro, Marlinton, Mill Point, Buckeye, Slatyfork, Rainelle, Rupert, Quinwood, Alderson and Union — all of Greenbrier and Pocahontas counties, and into Monroe and Summers.